Forever In Fire
by HorribleDreamsOfANightmare
Summary: Roxas lives in a Kingdom where nothing is right. He's a peasant living in the town of Vinoxera and he has a disease that will surely kill him in time, but can one man save him from an early demise? AkuRoku with side pairings  T for now


_A/N: OH MY GOD. I'VE BEEN WAITING SO LONG TO HAVE THIS STORY ON BUT MY COMPUTER WAS BEING A BUTT HEAD! SQUEE~ 33 Shoot me a message for any questions you have or if you need pronunciations as well! _

_chapter one:_

**_my black monarch_**

_Winter. A season of great beauty and great destruction… or at least… that's what the books told Roxas… but… in the town of Vinoxera, there's never beauty in winter, only fire. There is always fire. This is Roxas' story… and where he comes from._

_Vinoxera… this Section is in a larger country called Kingdom the official name being The Country of Spades. The Capitol of Kingdom is Azure Blue, which Roxas thinks is stupid; having a word meaning blue next to the actual word blue. Nevertheless, Kingdom is divided up into thirteen very different Sections. __The first is called Koymaxein, or the section of Nothing. This perticular Section is always surrounded by... well, nothing. There is no sky there is not even a ground… it is nothing but black and only the most prestigious of people dare to live there. Koymaxein is where the Capitol is located, surrounded by the only scenery that is currently present there besides the buildings: The Final Wall. The Final Wall was created by Kingdom's Keeper; the person who had discovered Kingdom. The second is named Minuxon. That Section always has the recesses and depths of space as it's portrayed in the science books given to the children of Kingdom; __those who could afford a proper schooling, anyways. The third is called Winxim, or the Winded Area. It's always guarded and pushed by heavy shrouds of wind that constantly rock the earth and buildings and people residing within the wind's strong wall. The fourth is Sinxoyaxu, a God awful place to live, if you ask Roxas, for it is always shrouded in ice and nothing grows there but ice flowers. The fifth is Linxxen, that Section is always having terrible rock slides or earthquakes causing many fatalities to occur in that Section. It's the highest in all the Sections. Linxxen is protected by a natural rock border that easily puts it out of harms way when targeted by another Section's Army. The sixth is Xinmora. It's always changing… the people there hallucinate… making them all insane… that's why this Section is nicknamed "Illusion Isle", no sane person dares to go there, unless there are reports of the Hallucinations dying down. Kurxin is the seventh. There's no sun in that Section, its only night. Of course, the Section does experience each phase of the moon daily, which makes the people there to be fantastic astronomers, yet they are all... different in a way. With no sunlight, they have no nutrition therefore they've... adapted. Vinoxera, Roxa's Section, is the eighth Section. It is called "Fire's Realm" for it has the most barren and fire-stricken land ever recorded in Kingdom's History. It's not usually shrouded by flame, but lately it has been increasing day by day. The ninth is Demora or the "Land Of Water's Prophet". It's rich with water supplies, but unfortunatly experiences typhoons, water tornadoes, tsunamis and hurricanes every other week, that's why when the people in Demora usually live underground except for when the young go out to hunt. Imouranxi is the tenth Section, the sun and moon are portrayed as clocks, and the people tell the time that way, but sometimes there's distortions, which causes the weather to become wild, the crops to die, the rain to become radioactive and the people to retreat to their cellars and underground safe havens. The eleventh, Airemxua is rich in its flower population, but its seasons are drastically clashing. It snows in summer, and there's blazing heat in winter causing many new designs for plants to emerge out of nowhere. Larxenatsu, better known as Larxena. Larxena has disastrous thunderstorms that never seem to cease. The lightening always touches the ground. The townspeople can't farm, the ground is too burnt, and no plants can ever grow, so they must import whatever they do not already possess. Finally, the thirteenth section. It is unnamed, and is the only Section that is completely unharmed and has prospered, but it is partially coveted by nothing, thanks to the ruler of the first Section. There is a ruler for each Section that causes all of these disasters._

_ Koymaxien's ruler is named Xemnas. He prefers Superior, since he is Kingdom's King. Minxona's ruler is Xigbar. Winxim's ruler is called Xaldin. Sinxoyaxu's ruler is named Vexen. The ruler of Linxxen is called Lexeaus. Xinmora's ruler is called Zexion. Kurxin's ruler is called Saix. Vinoxera's ruler is called Axel, the ruler of Demora is called Demyx. The ruler of Imouranxi is called Luxord, Airemxua's leader is called Marluxia. Larxenatsu's leader is called Larxene. But the history lesson is over. Time for the real story to begin._

A Monarch Butterfly is used to signify the coming of change and of watchers. As the light flutter of black wings entered a broken corner of a window the house seemed to stand completely still, as if holding it's breath, as the fires died out from the night before. The Monarch gracefully floated about the room before resting on a kitchen chair, it's wings pushing and pulling together. The house creaked a bit before it settled down, forgetting the presence of the Monarch. Slowly, a snapping sound was heard coming from the wing of the Monarch as the flesh cracked open to reveal a grey eye with a two long strands of the wing still intact on each side. It shifted and looked around the room, before the Monarch simply disappeared from view, wishing not to be seen. For it was watching.

Roxas' blue eyes opened with a sudden jolt. Tears pooled down his reddened cheeks as he sat up slowly, the blankets falling to his cotton covered hips. He gazed out the window; the fire was gone, as was his nightmare. Only blackened streets remained in the fire's wake. His opened window blew the blackened curtains towards him, sending the soot from the night before into his face, as if it were caressing it. Roxas closed his eyes and took a deep breath; inhaling what keeps him alive. Not the oxygen, the soot. Soon that soot disappeared, leaving the plain oxygen to fill his lungs once again. Roxas yawned, stretching his arms out over his head as he swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood up. He glanced around, figuring it must be about seven in the morning, but… there is no morning in Vinoxera to guess upon.

Roxas walked over to his closet and grabbed his black tank top, black cargo pants and leather jacket. He slipped off her sleeping shirt and pajama pants and slipped into the shower before putting on his boxers and black cargo pants. He slide into the formfitting tank top and then put on his leather jacket that ended right underneath his upper torso. He zippered it and trotted down the stairs. His mother, Lila, was on the couch, leaning over the coffee table, getting ready for work and his brother, Sora, was in the kitchen making breakfast. The sizzling of the eggs in the frying pan echoed throughout the quiet house, adding a subtle ambiance to the room.

As Roxas walked down the last three steps, his breathing quickened and his eyes went in and out of focus. He tripped over her feet and stumbled down the remaining stairs; face first, onto the cold, hard, wooden floor. His lungs were constricting, he could feel it. The constant tightening and strangulation of his wind pipe that was all too familiar. He was having an asthma attack. Startled, Sora dropped what he was doing and was by his side in an instant, sweating coldly at the sight of his brother's wheezing.

"Mother! Get the inhaler, quickly!" Sora cried, turning Roxas over in his lap. Roxas' eyes were closed tightly, and his mouth opened and closed with drastic attempts at regaining the soot from earlier. A cold metal substance was pressed to his lips, forcing his mouth to open wider. The sweet, soot infested air entered his lungs as he gripped the inhaler with his hands, desperately trying to hold onto this air. Sora pulled the inhaler from his mouth roughly and held Roxas' head in his hand. He stared at him, his blue eyes peering and prodding into his very being, making sure _everything_ was all right. This is how it always was with Roxas and his brother. He could always stare deeper into him than her mother could, even when he was a small child… Perhaps that's why they have such a loving relationship. Roxas smiled at him as his mother leaned over to put a hand on his face. Roxas' smile lost its passion as she stared into the emaciated face of his mother. Sora told him that she too, was once beautiful, but the reoccurring fires and the drastic change in climate have made all the adults in this Section tired and drawn out. His mother's now dull blue eyes stared into Roxas', seeing only the face… never the heart or soul.

"I am alright, Mother," Roxas said as Sora slowly sat him up.

"This disease must be cured soon…" her mother mused, standing. She brushed off her worn out red skirt and straightened her jacket before looking back at her sons. Sora was on his knees, helping Roxas slowly climb to his feet.

"It is not a disease, Mother. It is a condition. I am not Ill," Roxas said leaning against Sora, as he slowly stood up.

"Condition, Disease… they're both sicknesses that must be _cured,_" his mother hissed. Roxas looked at her. It was against Royal to defy your Elders. If you defy your Elders, it could cost you if anyone were to speak of it or see it. You could earn the Killing or worse, the Torture. Sora wasn't one to say anything to the "_Royal Kingdom Society," _but Roxas wasn't so sure about his mother. She had a tongue that slipped if probed. Roxas watched as his mother's frail form seemed to hover from one side of the room to the other as she carefully gathered things for work.

Roxas took a deep breath before continuing the conversation, "I am _not _carrying a disease." His mother looked at him.

His mother's face was tight, her eyes narrowed, "You are. Your Diseased and need to be cured. In weeks tops, I'll be sending you to Sinxoyaxu Medical Institutions so they can cure you."

"But, Mother I'm not-"

"End of discussion."

"But, Mother I don't-"

"_End _of Discussion."

Roxas looked down as his fists tightened, "Yes… Ma'am…" Sora looked between his mother and brother as they fought. Roxas' mother walked towards him.

"Listen, Roxas, I love you, I do. Don't ever forget that okay? What I do is for your best interest... I don't want to report you to the RKS for defying your Elder, but if I have to... I won't hesitate to report you," His mother said. Roxas flinched at his mother's touch. He was always afraid of her mother… snapping. Roxas knew there was something wrong with her. Lila noticed how Roxas seemed to recoil from her touch, and her face twisted into a snarl. Quickly, she regained her normal saddened composure and turned to gather the rest of her things and leave for the day.

"Love you both," she said as she left. The door closed and Roxas' fists loosened, falling to his sides, along with a pained sigh of exhaustion and frustration mixed with rage. His anger was coming back. He hated his mother for ridiculing him like he was nothing more than a poor ignorant child without a penny to his name. His rage was getting worse and worse with each confrontation from his mother. He hated her. He hated her so much because she was just like everyone else in this damned town. Right now, he hated living.

"Roxas, you should... sit down," Sora said cautiously. Their auras were sparking together almost as rough as the lightening in Larxena. Roxas didn't look at him, but did as he was told.

"Forget about what happened with Mother and I. What's wrong with you…? You seem… lethargic," Roxas said. Sora sighed and walked over to the couch. He sat down and placed his head on the back part of the sofa and closed his crystal blue eyes. Roxas looked at him.

"...what happened?" Roxas asked, his voice coated with suspicion.

"It's Riku... he," Sora started.

Roxas' eyes narrowed, "He what?"

"He's… he's gone to Azure Blue," Sora said, his chest shaking as it rose up and down with each pained breath. Roxas stood up from the rage he had been keeping down.

His voice came out harshly, "What?" Sora's eyes snapped open as he looked at him, worried. Roxas was shaking his head as his hands curled into claws.

Roxas began, "Is he a fucking psychopath? They'll _kill_ him! They show no mercy to peasants! The leaders who _were _peasants had to go through endless hours of training and interrogation. They went easy on the ones that were liked by the male members, but Riku… Riku's just fresh meat to them! The Goddess only _knows_ what they'll do to him! They might kill her or put her through torture or-"

Sora grabbed his shoulders and interrupted, "Roxas! Shut your damn mouth, for the_ love_ of the Goddess! They will _not_ kill him! I will _never _allow them to kill him!" Sora's eyes softened as he rested his head on Roxas' shoulder. Roxas was shocked, he'd never seen his brother like this. It scared him. Sora was optimistic, happy, loving. And Riku was only crushing that like it was nothing more than a bug on a sidewalk.

"Roxas… I don't know what I'm going to do… I love him so much…," Sora said.

"But, Sora… he left… he left you and her Family and his Section behind…," Roxas said, his eyes closing as Sora's back began to shake. He placed his head against the side of his as he let his tears fall onto his shirt. "It cannot be undone... He has left and committed Treason. There's nothing left for him if he wants to return here."

"I… I know, Roxas, but… he's… really… very… important to me…," Sora said, his voice strained and cracking.

"And so are you to me. I hate to see you like this, Sora… Mother's intent on sending me to Sinxoyaxu… maybe I could…," Roxas said his sentence trailing.

Sora's head snapped up.

"No, Roxas. If you do you'll eventually get caught and they'll _Kill_ you. I don't want to see another member of my family die… not ever again…"

"… _that's right…,"_ Roxas thought solemnly. _"Sora saw Father get executed… Mother wouldn't go… he told me… but… that's probably because she was pregnant will me… in Labor… actually…" _

Roxas wrapped his arms underneath Sora's arms and locked them together on the center of his back, a way of showing comfort to him.

"Sora I… I'm so… I'm so sorry you had to see that…," He said, resting his head on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry…"

Roxas opened his eyes just in time to see a black monarch butterfly flutter past her face.

[:~^~:]

"Sir. You requested me…" Darcy asked, kneeling in front of her Superior, Axel. Axel's green eyes darted down to her, sparkling in the light of the flames behind him. The shine on his hair danced as he shifted his head to a more comfortable position on his hand. His throne was a few inches taller than his sitting self, being black and a reddened orange color with white inlays running around the seams of the cushions, twirling together like snakes. His elbow rested gingerly on the arm rest as he looked down at the woman who knelt before his Superiority. His lips twitched up a bit, with amusement at how easily she could obey him before falling back to their usual line.

"Yes…," Axel said, his voice echoing throughout the room in a light, seductive tone. "You may rise."

Darcy stood, her short black hair caressing her cheeks. Her naturally pale skin gave her a look of a goddess, but she was nothing compared to the members of Divinity's Reach. Each one of them stood with such essence, it made even the most fair woman or man fall before them in a way that could easily be given to a god in human form.

"Twenty minutes ago, you returned from your observations of the local families in my Section… is there any news to be shared…?" Axel asked, his muscles contracting from the tension of being in same position. His perch above the world was rather dull, but his fires gave him company and comfort in his hours of darkness.

"Yes, Milord. Would you like surveillance footage or spoken words…," Darcy said.

"…Footage," Axel said bluntly. Darcy walked up to Axel and turned around, kneeling as she did. Axel took a deep breath in as he shifted forward, his arms moving towards the back of Darcy's neck. Her fake porcelain skin glided over Axel's fingertips as he unhinged the memory base in the back of her neck. An android was meant to have the most prestigious and highly advanced technology, and Axel wasted no time in having_ his_ Superior make a model for him. Axel pulled out the three grey chords and left them to dangle at the base of Darcy's neck as he opened a small compartment in the right arm of his throne. In the compartment were three empty USB inputs. He placed the chords into the inputs and waited, resuming his original position. A digital screen appeared in front of Axel as Darcy's head fell toward the floor. The camera panned on the screen, showing a family with no father. Only a mother and two teenagers, both male. They were arguing, but because of the odd security system, their voices were distorted.

"_I am alright, Mother," the boy said as the Elder slowly sat him up. _

"_This disease must be cured soon…," the mother said, standing._

The picture had begun to loose its form, like an old film would if the reel burned during replay.

"Darcy… try to fix the audio and picture," Axel said, his voice calm as he stood up and walked towards the screen in front of him.

"Yes, Milord," Lea said. A slight buzzing sound filled the empty room, roaring over the crackling of the fires behind the two. The audio paused, the picture sharpening, then played the voices clearer and more defined. The boy's voice was the first thing to travel to Axel's ears and to say the least, he didn't hate it...

"_It is not a disease, Mother, it is a condition. I am not Ill," the boy said leaning against his brother, as he slowly stood up. _

"_Condition, Disease… they're both sicknesses that must be cured." her mother hissed._

"_a disease…?" _Axel thought. He had not heard of any sorts of diseases in his Section. He must be the first, and most definitely, according to Axel, the last. Axel continued to watch the quarrel between the Elder and the Khild. This was against Royal, if the Khild continued this, Axel would have to send his Dispatchers to contain and re-educate him and he did _not _want to do that. The Dispatchers can get rough, and the boy, according to the mother, was already suffering with a disease he most certainly did _not_ approve of.

_The boy took a deep breath before continuing the conversation, "I am not carrying a disease." _

_Her mother looked at her. Her mother's face was tight, her eyes narrowed, "You are. Your Diseased and need to be cured. In a weeks tops, I'll be sending you to Sinxoyaxu Medical Institutions so they can cure you." _

"_But, Mother I'm not-__"_

"_End of discussion."_

"_But, Mother I don't-__"_

"End_ of Discussion." _

_The boy looked down as his fists tightened, "Yes, Ma'am…"_

"What is this boy's name?" Axel asked, pausing the video.

"Roxas Valerkie. His father was executed for Treason in front of the Tribunal Council on Friday, Unknown, Thirteenth, the day the boy was born. His family consists of one older brother, Sora Valerkie and one mother, Lila Valerkie," said Darcy. The Unknown referred to the unnamed Section. Axel's eyes narrowed with suspicion; he knew of the Prophecies. Each of the members of Divinity's Reach had been chosen from the Prophecies and they could not be re-written. The last of the Prophecies depicted a Ruler of young age, coming from the People's mouth, and biting the hands that feed. Axel remembered that foreseeing very well:

_The Final Ruler. _

_Sewn into the age of the young, coming from the people_

_And Biting the Hands that Feed…_

_A defiant soul, born into the eyes of the poor, but raised into a perfect body… _

_Intelligence reigns behind the empty and stoic eyes…_

_This shall eventually be the downfall…_

_Of the entire Country of Spades,…_

_Change can become imminent… if foreseen…_

_Let this warning prosper…_

_And the Country of Spades along with it…_

_Signed, _

**_Kingdom's Keeper_**

Axel continued the video, watching Roxas Valerkie and her brother shift from one side of the room to the other. Roxas sat on the couch clearly mad at his Elder, but he kept it contained. His eyes were cold.

"_Forget about what happened with me and Mother. What's wrong with you…? You seem… lethargic," Roxas said. His brother sighed and walked over to the couch. He sat down and placed his head on the back of the couch._

"…_what happened?" Roxas asked. _

"…_it's… Riku… he…," his brother started._

_Roxas' eyes narrowed, "he what?"_

"_Riku…?" _Axel thought. He continued to watch, his hands constricting at his sides. If this turned out to be what he was wary about then...

"_H__e… he's gone to Azure Blue," her brother said._

Axel's eyes narrowed. Of _course_.

_Roxas stood up and his voice came out harshly, "What?" _

_Roxas began, "Is he a fucking psychopath? They'll kill him! They show no mercy to peasants! The leaders who were peasants had to go through endless hours of training and interrogation. They went easy on the ones that were liked by the male members, but Riku… Riku's just fresh meat to them! The Goddess only knows what they'll do to him! They might kill her or put her through torture or-"_

_Sora grabbed his shoulders and interrupted, "Roxas! Shut your damn mouth, for the love of the Goddess! They will not kill him! I will never allow them to kill him!" Sora's eyes softened as he rested his head on Roxas' shoulder, receiving widened eyes in response._

Axel watched as his brother put his head onto Roxas' shoulder. Axel lifted his chin up in disgust but continued to watch, pushing the mushy family connection out of his mind.

_"But, Sora… he left… he left you and his Family and his Section behind…," Roxas said, his eyes closing as Sora's back began to shake. He placed his head against the side of his as quiet sobs reverberated about the small room. "It cannot be undone... He has left and committed Treason. There's nothing left for him if he wants to return here, now..."_

"Transmission ended…" Darcy said. Axel unhooked her cables as they retracted back into her neck. She reattached the compartment to the outside of her neck and a faint click was heard, signaling the close. Axel stood up to tower over the android as she followed suit, rising to a mere five feet three inches.

"I want immediate location of this so called Riku. Do not stall for anyone, this is an order, do you understand me?" he asked harshly, clearly annoyed by this Riku coming to Azure Blue without any sudden notice. He would get hell from his Superiors if he let this one slide. Darcy nodded.

"Affirmative, Milord," She turned on her heel and glided out of the room, her shoed feet making light taps on the granite floor. Axel's eyes closed, his anger getting the best of him. His hands curled into fists as they shook violently. Axel's teeth clenched as he brought his arms up into a right angle on either side of his stomach. His aura started to violently shift and expand around him. It busted outwards, cracking the walls and burning the paint. Axel's breathing became rapid as he threw his head back and screamed. Around Axel's body fire emerged, entombing him in neon blue. It expanded violently and seemed to dance around him in a circular motion, holding hands as if it were mocking him. As the flames spread around Axel, as did the fires in Vinoxera. Axel didn't mean for this to happen, he didn't mean for the Fires to reign for more than three weeks; but he just couldn't control his anger any longer. Nothing was going right with him and he hated it. He hated it with a dying passion. A knock echoed softly from the door and Axel's hands shook as a woman entered.

"Kyra," Axel hissed between clenched teeth.

"Milord…," Kyra said from the door, kneeling as he acknowledged her. Kyra was the polar opposite of Darcy, with white hair and dark skin. She was also an android, like her sister.

"Kyra… I want you to watch the Valerkie family… very closely… I want to figure out what the disease that… child… Roxas… has. Understand me?" Axel asked, his eyes a vibrant emerald green in the blue flames. Kyra stood, morphed into a black monarch butterfly and flew out of the room, her new mission accepted.


End file.
